Leather working tool



March 12, 1963 c. D. MARTINEZ 3,080,652

LEATHER WORKING TOOL Filed June 16. 1961 Fly;

[ INVENTOR Char/es D. Mari/7192 United States Patent 3,080,652 LEATHER WORKTNG TOOL Charles D. Martinez, 421 W. 2nd St., Trinidad, Colo. Filed June 16, 1961, Ser. No. 117,610 3 Claims. (Cl. 30-483) This invention relates to a tool and method for use by leatherworkers in cutting leather into uniform strips and thongs.

Generally there is provided a hand tool having a shank which acts as the handle of the device and a cutter head formed at one end of the shank. The device is such that there is provided a simple means for cutting elongated strips or thongs from hides. Simple, easily adjustable means is provided for varying the width of the strips as desired.

It is an object of the invention to provide a hand tool for cutting a piece of leather into strips of uniform width spirally from a small circular hole cut in the center of a leather hide.

Another object is to provide a hand tool of the character set forth having a guide roller for gauging the width of strips being cut.

A further object is the provision of a leather cutting tool having an easily removable and replaceable razortype blade.

Still another object is to provide a leather cutting implement wherein the cutter head is formed with a plurality of spaced parallel slots for adjustably receiving therein a cutter blade, depending upon the Width of strip being cut.

A still further object is the provision of a leather cutting tool having a novel latching means for maintaining a cutter blade in selected positions in a cutter head.

These and other and further objects and advantages will be apparent as the specification is considered with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention and illustrating its method of operation when cutting a thong;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary rear elevational view of a head portion of the tool of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of the head shown in FIGURE 2 taken from the right side of said figure;

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view similar to FIG- URE 3 but taken from the opposite side thereof; and

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view, somewhat enlarged, taken along line 5--5 of FIGURE 4.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, wherein similar reference characters designate like parts through out the several views, numeral 11 generally designates the hand tool consisting of a shank portion 12 of cast steel or other suitable material to which is integrally connected a head portion 13.

The shank 12 is suitably shaped or contoured to serve as the hand grip or handle. The head 13 is transversely cut away to provide a channel 14 into which the edge of a piece of leather hide 15 may be inserted and then held and pressed against the lower surface of the channel by the lower arm 16 of a C-shaped adjustable guide member 17. The guide member 17 is vertically slidably connected to the head 13 by means of a pair of slide rods 18 bridging the open side of the member 17 and fixed thereto by having the end portions thereof fitted into apertures in the upper and lower arms 16a and 16, respectively. Slide rods 18 have integral stop ridges 19 formed thereon to prevent their displacement relative to the members 17 after they have been inserted across the open side thereof by springing open the sides and then allowing the same to close by their own resiliency.

Adjustment of the C-shaped guide member 17 relative to the lower wall of the channel is effected by means of a screw 20 passing loosely through an aperture in the arm 16a of member 17 and threadably received in a vertical threaded bore in the upper portion of the head 13. The lower end of the screw 20 engages against the lower arm 16 to force the latter to desired position for lightly contacting the upper surface of the piece of leather hide 15. A coil spring 20' surrounding the shank of the screw 20 and compressed between arm 16a and the upper surface of the head 13 maintains the member 17 in its adjusted position with the arm 16 bearing against the lower end of the screw 2%.

The end wall of the channel 14, adjacent the head 13, is cut away to receive a roller 21 which is adapted to limit the distance which the edge of the leather 15 may enter the channel 14. The roller 21 is mounted on an axle pin 22 threadably or otherwise fixed in aligned bores in the upper and lower portions of the head 13, as best shown in FIGURE 5.

Referring to FIGURE 2, the rear portion of the head is provided with a series of spaced parallel vertical slots 23, any one of which will accommodate or receive therein a razor-blade type knife 24. The blade 24 has a pair of spaced apertures 24 therein whereby the blade is fixed or positioned in one of the preselected vertical slots by a U-shaped wire element 25, the legs of which extend through openings 24' and aligned openings 13 in the head 13 As best illustrated in FIGURE 1, when a cutting operation is to be performed, the piece of leather hide is stretched tautly in a suitable frame or other stretching means, not shown, and a locating aperture 26 is suitably formed therein. It is, of course, understood that the aperture 26 may be so formed before or after the aforesaid stretching operation. The operator grasps the tool handle 12 and inserts the head 13 thereof into the opening until the annulus of the opening projects into the channel 14 and abuts the roller 21. Thus, as the tool head is moved relative to the hide, the annulus is guided into engagement with the cutting edge of blade 24 and a strip of preselected uniform width is spirally cut therefrom. When the blade is positioned in the first slots 23, as shown in FIGURE 2, a relatively narrow or thin strip or thong 27 is produced, which width may be varied by resetting the blade in the other slots 23, in an obvious manner. The tool will, of course, be progressively and continuously pressed against the edge or annulus of the hoie 26 and moved counter clockwise in the direction of the arrows of FIGURES 1, 3 and 4 in an ever widening spiral as the strip or thong is spirally severed therefrom.

While I have shown and described a preferred form of my leather cutting tool, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A hand tool for cutting leather hide or the like into strips of uniform width, comprising: a shank providing a handle, a head attached to one end of said shank, a channel opening into one side of said head for receiving said hide, a series of slots in the facing walls of said channel and parallel to the side wall of the channel for selectively holding a cutting blade therein at selected distances from said side wall, parallel bores in said head respectively passing transversally through the walls of said slots, apertures in said blade spaced to register with said bores, and means removably passing through said bores and said apertures for releasably holding said blades in said slots.

2. A hand tool for cutting leather hide or the like into strips of uniform width, comprising: a shank providing a handle, a head attached to one end of said shank, a channel opening into one side of said head for receiving said hide, a series of slots in the facing walls of said channel and parallel to the side wall of the channel for selectively holding a cutting blade therein at selected distances from said side wall, a roller along said side wall having its axis parallel to said wall, and means for releasably holding said blade in said slots.

3. A structure according to claim 2, additionally comprising a plate adjustably mounted on one of the facing walls of said channel and parallel to the other to accommodate hides of various thickness.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Miley Apr. 22, 1913 Anttila et a1. Apr. 6, 1915 Luke Dec. 3, 1946 Engeln July 3, 1951 Hinsche Aug. 18, 1953 Reed Apr. 11, 1961 

1. A HAND TOOL FOR CUTTING LEATHER HIDE OR THE LIKE INTO STRIPS OF UNIFORM WIDTH, COMPRISING: A SHANK PROVIDING A HANDLE, A HEAD ATTACHED TO ONE END OF SAID SHANK, A CHANNEL OPENING INTO ONE SIDE OF SAID HEAD FOR RECEIVING SAID HIDE, A SERIES OF SLOTS IN THE FACING WALLS OF SAID CHANNEL AND PARALLEL TO THE SIDE WALL OF THE CHANNEL FOR SELECTIVELY HOLDING A CUTTING BLADE THEREIN AT SELECTED DISTANCES FROM 